The Children Of Narnia
by stephen.hinojos
Summary: The Pevensie's take control of Narnia, following the death's of their parent's. But in the midst of civil war, Edmund aiding the enemy,Lucy missing, and a growing list of challenges, will they survive? AU, mild violence,
1. Aslan Speaks

King Pevensie looked down on the carnage. His loyal subjects were fighting at the gates of the castle trying to hold back the insurrectionists. He watched as the White Witch slashed and froze soldiers in stone. The King knew that if the White Witch was in the lead, his forces wouldn't last long. He could already feel the cold air rushing through the castle.

He turned to the Queen. She looked at him with defiance. She refused to go silently into the night. She looked at the new born baby in her arms. They had agreed to call her Lucy. Now they were hurt because they knew she would grow up without them.

"Not necessarily" said a voice from the corner.

Neither of them had to turn. Both of them knew who it was.

"You know the White Witch will kill us tonight, Aslan" stated the King.

"You're right. Both of you will die defending Narnia and will be remembered by you royal subjects. But your newest daughter will be able to be raised by you, with your permission."

"Of course you have permission to save our daughter, Aslan."

"I prefer to ask and hear your permission instead of acting out of freewill."

"Thank you for that, Aslan" said the King solemnly, turning back to the window.

An explosion rocked the castle as the White Witch blasted through the gates. The King watched as Narnian's, brothers and fellow countrymen, began to slaughter each other. A single thought crossed his mind.

"Will they ever recover from this madness, or am I seeing the end of our beloved country?" the King asked, almost scared of the answer.

"Yes, they will, and your children will be the instruments of their recovery."

The King sighed happily and looked to Aslan with newfound courage and happiness.

"Aslan, I trust you and trust this is part of your plan."

With those words, the King left the room to prepare for his final battle.

Through the whole conversation, the Queen had sat, silently watching the conversation. She chose now to ask the question that was on her mind.

"Aslan, what about the other three? What will become of my other children?" The Queen asked imploringly.

The Lion turned and looked at her. He considered for moment then made up his mind.

"They will survive this war, but they will be pained. They will each face their own set of hardships. They will see more than their fare share of heartache and torment. But they will survive and meet you when the time comes."

With that, the Lion move towards the Queen.

"Do I have your consent to take the child with me?" the Lion asked.

"You do."

The Lion bowed to the Queen.

"Thank you."

With that, the Great Lion glowed brightly for a second, and then disappeared with Lucy Pevensie. The Queen sighed heavily and stared. A second explosion rocked the castle, drawing the queen from her thoughts. _I still have three kids to save. _The Queen thought quickly.


	2. The Parent's Fall

The Queen raced to the rear gate. On her way there, she saw four year old Edmund running into his room while a satyr tried to fight off a rogue hag that had made its way up from the battle. The Queen raced up to the satyr.

"My Queen, they have taken the courtyard and are moving into the castle." the satyr shouted while continuing to fight his opponent, "You need to get the Prince and run now!"

The Queen froze for a second, watching the combat unfold. The satyr slashed at the hag, who dodged and attempted to parry with her sword. Instead the satyr kicked the sword back and slashed again. He glanced back for just a second and saw the Queen standing there.

"My Queen please move. Your children must live." The satyr shouted quickly, before meeting the hag again. This time the Queen ran into her son's room while the satyr continued to fight. She saw Edmund huddles in a corner, covering his face, as if not seeing the fight would make it not real. The Queen quickly grabbed her youngest son and ran from the room. The satyr and hag had both disappeared, but there was definitely a significant amount of blood on the floor. She tried not to think about it, as Edmund buried his head into her shoulder and covered his ears.

As she approached the rear gate, she saw in horror that the King and General Oreius were already fighting back enemy forces. She hadn't expected the battle to have reached here already. She saw behind the two combatants, was a wagon with two horses. She watched as they began to sprint away with eight year old Peter and seven year old Susan in the back screaming to their parents. The Queen turned and raced to the stables, knowing that Edmund was now in serious trouble. If the White Witch caught him, she would show no mercy. The Queen raced into the stables and saw Phillip restless in the back of the stables.

"My Queen, what treachery is this? Narnia burned to the ground by their brothers."

The Queen quickly interrupted, "Narnia will live to see tomorrow and will be saved by its brothers as well. Quickly, you must take Edmund away from here. If the Queen finds him, make up a story. She must not find out he's a prince. Even if that means he doesn't know. Now please take him from here. Fly and don't look back for any reason."

With that, the Queen placed the prince upon the horse back and made sure he wouldn't fall off. Phillip raced out from the stables and into the forest. The Queen watched them depart, and then turned back to the castle. She ran to the rear gate again. Aslan had said they would die, but the Queen would not die separated from her husband. As she reached the King she noticed that the General had disappeared. She watched her husband fall to the ground as a minotaur he was fighting slashed him with its sword. She reached him right as he took his final breath. She looked right into his dying eyes and watched the lifeblood drain from him. She never saw the sword come down, and she never felt it hit her.


	3. Philip's Mistake

The White Witch looked down on the body of the Queen, then at the minotaur. She was a tall woman, whose mere presence demanded attention. Her skin was pale white and her dress would have been pure white, had it not been for the dust and blood that stained it. She turned her attention to the Queen again, as if trying to decide something. Behind her a hag, a werewolf, and a black bearded dwarf stood, looking pleased at the site before them. The sounds of battle continued to erupt from within the castle, but they seem distant to company.

"Ginarrbrik, who is this in front of me?" The White Witch asked

Ginarrbrik, caught completely by surprise, answered "It's the Old Queen of Narnia, My Lady."

"Who is that lying next to her?"The Witch asked in a calm voice.

"The Old King of Narnia, My Lady."

"Good and where are the heirs of Narnia?"

Ginarrbrik, starting to get the picture said worriedly, "I am not sure My Lady."

"And who would know where they went?"

"The Old King and Queen."

"So, in the name of the Ancient Magic's, as well as by my own power, WHY ARE THEY DEAD?"

Ginarrbrik knew better than to answer that question, especially since the Witch was beginning to shout.

"General Otmin, the only reasons I have not had you join them already is because your one of my most faithful servants and the fact that I know they wouldn't tell me their children's location anyway. But next time, use that miniscule brain of yours BEFORE you kill potential witnesses. Especially in matters such as these."

"Yes, My Queen."

At this time, Maugrim raced up from the battle and stopped just short of the party.

"My Lady, the castle has fallen, and we are clearing the halls of any leftover resistance."

"Good." The Queen stated calmly, as if nothing had happened "I want you and the wolves to search the forest and find the heirs to the throne. If you find any of them, bring them to me."

"Yes, My Lady." The wolf growled happily, thrilled by the chase. Then, he howled, summoning his pack from the different corners of the castles and the grounds. As they ran to him, he sent them down different paths of the forest and told them to kill everything, but the children.

As the wolves depart, the White Witch turns back to the party and the castle.

"Find anything left living in the castle, and correct the problem."

With that the party departs for the castle and returns to the chaotic scene inside.

Philip raced towards the Stone Table as best he could, but the wolves were already quick on his tail. Philip panicked as he realized that Maugrim was one of the wolves that hot on his trail.

"Stop in the name of the New Queen!" the wolf barked forcefully.

To avoid any possible harm to the Prince, Philip stopped and turned to the wolves. Maugrim approached the horse, smelling the air and realizing what he just caught.

"You have a human with you. Can I assume that it's one of the royal's?"

"No, you cannot. I don't want to be involved with your war in anyway. Now if you and your pack are done."

"Why would I take you at your word? You are a random horse with a child not five miles from a major battle where four royal children disappear. I already know it's one of them."

"If you already know, then why are you talking to me about it? Take the boy away and kill him or whatever. I don't care that much, I am not dying for some human I only half know."

With that Philip turned so the boy could easily be reached by the wolves and prayed to Aslan his dare would work. The wolves considered this proposal, and figured that it may not be one of the Royals, but the Queen would want to see him either way. Before Philip realized what was happening, one of the wolves had pounced and grabbed the four year olds collar in his mouth. The wolf quickly sprinted away with the child in his mouth.

Before Philip could react, a voice in his head told him not to move. The wolf pack gave a glance at the unmoving horse and then quickly raced back to the castle.

Philip watched them go, and wondered why he didn't do everything in his power to save the Prince. As he prepared to race after them, the Great Lion appeared in front of him out of nowhere. The Lion faced Philip, not at all concerned about the Prince getting further away.

"Aslan, why have we let them escape with the Prince? They will surely kill him." Philip asked hurriedly.

"The Prince will live, but he needs to experience the darker side of Narnia. He will need every dark secret they teach him. Trust me Philip, Prince Edmund will survive and will see the Throne that's most rightfully his. Go and rejoin the others at the Stone Table."

"Yes, Aslan"

With that, Philip turned and raced to the Stone Table, without Prince Edmund on his back.


	4. Aslan's Orders

The White Witch looked at the child before her. The four year old boy was being quite and looked scared out of his mind. The White Witch couldn't help but feel a little amused by how pathetic the child looked.

The White Witch sat atop the throne that was supposed to belong to the Old King and that she now claimed for herself. She took note of one or two of the statues in the room. She knew the halls would one day be decorated with these trophies, but for now these would suffice. The screams of battle had long since died away and her men had already begun to clean up the debris and bodies lying around. She turned her attention back to the child.

"You say the horse let you take this boy and that he never pursued you?"The Witch asked.

"Yes My Lady, He didn't even flinch when we ran off with him."

"I am tempted to say that this creature is not a royal, but I am only tempted."The Witch thought aloud, "We shall keep the child with us. If no one comes to get him, then we have a new soldier. If a rescue party is sent, then we shall kill him. We shall use this child to aid in washing away the last of the old Narnian's and bringing in a new era of true equality amongst Narnian's."

With that the Witch rose, stuck out her wand and pointed it at Prince Edmund. The boy seemed to suddenly lose all emotion as he looked at the tip of the wand. Maugrim noticed that room seemed to darken as the Queen started to whisper imperceptibly into her wand. The boy seemed to forget the fact that he was supposed to be scared, and now seemed to be brave in the face the Witch. Maugrim didn't like how the air in the room became suffocating, as if the energy seemed to be pressing into him. Neither the boy nor the New Queen seemed to notice. Just when the wolf thought he was going to pass out, the Queen dropped her wand and left the room, without another word. The boy stood up straight and seemed to be debating something in his head. Then he seemed to gather himself and left the room through the front doors. Neither Maugrim nor the guards at the door had the courage to challenge the wandering Child. He emanated some sort of energy that Maugrim couldn't quite place. It felt like the Witch's power, but also like something else. It was the something else that had Maugrim worried.

While all of this was occurring, Prince Peter and Princess Susan were being raced to the Stone Table in the back of a wagon. The horses hadn't stopped racing since the battle, and the children could tell they were starting to get weary. General Oreius was racing close behind them, only stopping to make sure there weren't any enemies following. When they reached the Stone Table, the horses finally stopped and promptly laid down to recover. A dwarf raced up to them with buckets full of water and starting persuading them to drink. While the horses recovered, Peter and Susan looked around. They were in the middle of a makeshift camp. Peter recognized some of the faces as those that had served his father at some point in time. He wondered why they had gathered here.

Before Peter could begin to ask around, everyone suddenly started bowing. Peter turned around and saw Aslan approaching from the direction the wagon had just come. Unlike the horses, he didn't look winded at all. Peter quickly bowed with the others.

"Rise, King Peter. I have given Narnia to its children. Now I need you and your siblings to prepare for Narnia's retaking."

"But where are Edmund and Lucy?" Peter said without thinking.

"They will appear from their training when the time is right. You need only worry about your own training. I want you to train with General Oreius in the deep forest. Queen Susan, you shall go with the Beaver's and learn everything they teach you. Lucy and Edmund are both training where they need to be. I will return to you when I feel you are ready."

With that the Lion disappeared into thin air, leaving silence in his wake. General Oreius was the first to stir.

"All right, Son of Adam, say farewell to your sister and come with me."The centaur said in all business tone.

Peter stirred from his awe inspired hypnotism and looked to his sister. Susan seemed to be fairly normal considering everything that had happened over the past few hours. She looked at Peter for a brief second before speaking.

"Good bye Peter. We'll see each other again soon and our brother and sister will rejoin us then too. Now go train with the centaurs."

Peter smiled at his sister and turned to the centaur.

"I am ready General Oreius." Peter said respectfully.

With that, one of the horses allowed Peter to get atop him and they rode with the Centaur north into the nearest batch of forest.

"Come along Queen Susan. We must leave as well."Mrs. Beaver said motherly.

"Yeah there is no telling when the wolves will find this place. We must depart now if we want to keep our head start."

With that Susan and the Beavers departed west into the forest. The other Narnian's went their separate ways as well. Each went to their hiding places or camp to train or prepare for Aslan's prophesied battle.


	5. 10 years later

*** 10 years later ***

Edmund looked at the large stone gate in front of him. The White Witch had set it up to keep trespasser away from the Cold Forests. She owned the Old Castle and wanted everyone to know. Edmund couldn't care less. He just knew that now, it was in his way.

For the past ten years, he had been bouncing back and forth between the Minotaur Camp and the White Queen's Castle. They had been teaching him everything from swordsmanship, strength, and endurance, to stealth, sorcery, and cunning. Edmund had been trained to be a stone cold killer in combat and a force to be feared during times of calm. He enjoyed using his abilities to further his own gain. The Queen had even allowed him his own force of minotaurs.

Edmund lifted his arm and pointed his fist at the gate. Then he opened put his hand flat, spreading out his fingers. The gates exploded away from him as his energy blasted them to pieces. Small animal and birds scattered as huge pieces of stone smashed into the ground and the nearest trees. Before the dust could settle, Edmund ordered darkness to cover the forest. He watched as what looked like a solid black cloud buried the surrounding forest.

He didn't even turn as the Queen came up behind him in her war chariot. She lifted her wand just for a second, and then lowered it. Used to be, Edmund wouldn't have understood what she was doing. But Edmund had learned the Queens most infamous spell. She had used it more than once since Edmund had been around. He watched as several of the small animals and birds that hadn't escaped in time were frozen in stone. He even noticed that a couple of them had fallen from above and were now breaking on the ground.

He glanced around and walked forward, wondering if it was going to be this quiet the entire time the conquered the rest of Narnia, or if they might actually see some combat. He would hate to have to have endured all that training just for Aslan to surrender without a fight.

As he wondered through the forest, he realized that most of the trees and grass were a brighter green than in the Queens domain. He wondered what the difference was between the two areas.

Before he could wonder for long, three satyrs ran up from the forest. The dark cloud Edmund had thrown up was now dissipating, leaving him and the Queens Army completely exposed. If Edmund hadn't been wearing a helmet that hid his entire face from view, they would have seen Edmund's face light up when he saw them. As is, what the satyrs saw was a suit of completely black armor being worn by what they assumed was a guy with the White Witch in riding a war chariot behind him. They most definitely saw the army of nightmare creatures behind the Queen as well. But this image, combined with all the stone animals and rubble in the vicinity sent shivers through the satyrs.

Without thinking about the consequences, one of the satyrs ran at Edmund, drawing a sword from a sheath that Edmund hadn't noticed before. Next thing anyone knew, Edmund was standing behind the satyr, who suddenly dropped to the ground dead. Edmund's sword had blood dripping from it. The second satyr drew his sword, but was a bit more cautious about attacking. Before Edmund could strike, the Queen spoke.

"Remember, I need one of them alive. I want to know who has been in charge of this area for the last decade."

"Yes, My Lady."Edmund said. He lifted his hand, picking up the satyr with his magic. He then threw the satyr into the closest tree, where it fell and didn't move again.

Edmund glanced at the last satyr and noticed that this one did not have a sheath or weapon of any kind. He merely had a bag full of packages and an umbrella. At this point, Edmund was so curious that he forgot that he had just been fighting and put his sword away. Edmund didn't care for blood lust; he just liked a good fight. Now that he had had one, he was ready to be curious. He knew better than to show that side of him in front of the Queen.

Mr. Tumnus, the satyr with the mail, was fairly surprised by what had happened over the course of the last few moments. Just moments ago, he had been talking with his escorts about some of the recent events in Narnia when they heard a sound like thunder emanating from the trees nearby. And when the birds began to panic and scream about their brothers being turned to stone, they raced to investigate. They were completely unprepared to see the White Witch or a knight in solid black armor.

Mr. Tumnus was now concerned as to why there was an army behind the Witch and his escort had been killed. Before he could ask, the knight walked up to him and ripped the mail bag away from him. He then began to throw its contents around until he found the message from High King Peter to Queen Susan. He stared at it for a bit, and then took it to the Witch in her chariot. Mr. Tumnus was outraged at their utter lack of respect and the way they just took the letter.

"That belongs to the Royal Family and you should not…"

"Shut up, Satyr." The Queen said pointing her wand at the satyr. Mr. Tumnus would've been horrified if he had realized what was happening. Before his next breath, he was stone.

The Queens face never changed, but Edmund could feel her frustration rising as she read whatever was on the letter. Her stare lasted till long after she was done reading the letter. Edmund just waited, knowing that their campaign was about to get a lot more interesting because of whatever was written on that paper. The Queen finally looked up. When she spoke again, her voice left no room for debate.

"In two days, we will reach the village at Beaver's Dam. We will also find the fort they have set up nearby. I want them both ransacked for supplies and burned to the ground. This "Royal" family will learn who is really in charge of Narnia, as will anyone else who stands in our way."

With those words the army cheered and Edmund grinned. Just as he predicted, this campaign had just gotten a lot more interesting.


	6. The Warnings

Queen Susan sat at her large desk. Now seventeen, she was in charge of the training base just uphill from the village of Beaver's Dam. The base itself sits right on the edge of the forest, with one gate that leads to the forest so the trainees can practice some of the more realistic survival techniques. The students who passed the school were normally sent to one of General Oreius forts, where they would keep an eye out for any signs of the old insurrection. Susan understood the need for security, but knew that no insurrectionist had been spotted in about a decade.

Queen Susan looked down at the paperwork in front of her. As soon as she had turned fifteen, they had started training her for running the training grounds. When she turned sixteen, she was put in charge. Now seventeen, she was fully running the show and frustrated by the daily operations. She spent most of the day doing paperwork. The only part of her day that she enjoyed was getting to walk around the base and meet both the trainers and the trainees. She always tried to meet the new trainees and the ones that had problems or complaints. She tried to meet all the instructors and get updates on how the trainees were doing. For the some of the ones that were having a hard time, she would put in a recommendation, but for the most part the trainers knew more than her, so she tried not to interfere with their methods. So the only thing that she could really do at this point in time was the paperwork, and that was the most maddening part of her day for now.

So when a tree nymph unexpectedly dropped in on her, she welcomed the excuse to momentarily stop her work. But once the nymph started talking, she wished that she was still doing paperwork.

"Wait, wait, wait. What did you see?" The queen asked

"An army marching through the forest. The White Witch of Old is in the lead, as well as a new general, completely in black armor."

"If she has a new general, then her army is bigger than before." Queen Susan thought aloud.

"My Lady, what should we do?"

"You need to go warn Peter and General Oreius. I have to evacuate the village and the trainees. Otherwise, it will be a slaughter."

"Yes my Lady." And the nymph disappeared.

Queen Susan stood and looked out the window behind her desk. _Aslan, help us. _She silently prayed.

Peter glanced at the General as he walked into the room. Unlike his sister, the only thing Peter had gained when he turned sixteen was the ability to train with a real sword instead of a wooden sword. He wasn't in charge of an army or a training base. He was just following the orders of the centaur and training in strategy. He would have been fed up with it, if it hadn't been for the fact that every afternoon, he was worn out. He was usually called in by the General to discuss his performance and how to improve it. So this visit to the General's office was nothing unusual. What was unusual was the fact that there was a tree nymph that was extremely distraught. Peter assumed it had something to do with a farmer digging up some of her trees or something and the General was going to sort it out.

"Prince Peter, it's time for you to prove yourself."

"What do you mean, Sir?"

"What I mean is that it is time for you to become High King of Narnia as per the instruction of Aslan."

"Instruction of Aslan?"

"The White Witch has returned and is about to lay waste to Beaver Dam and the Training Grounds."

"We have got to stop her! My sister is there as well as…"

"I know who is there; I also know that Queen Susan is in control of the situation there. What you need to do is assemble the army for when the Queen turns her sights to us. Otherwise, her forces will overrun Narnia.


	7. Susan's Fear

Queen Susan looked around the pier and was just a little surprised. The evacuation had gone a lot better than she had hoped and had resulted in the complete emptying of both the village and the base. She was proud of the response of the trainees as well. Not a single trainee was willing to leave. Even after she made the evacuation mandatory, they refused to leave before any of the villagers. They had even gone so far as to set up the evacuation routes and write a list of possessions allowed on the boats. All of that and more were done without very many orders from Queen Susan. She was very proud of the situation and only regretted that it had to happen at all.

But now she stood in the center of docks, watching the mostly abandoned streets as little pieces of trash fly through the air. The base suddenly looked like an aggressive structure looming force, threatening the empty, doomed city. She could already fell the cold air, and though it was the middle of the afternoon, the shadows seemed to be closing in around her. For the first time since she became Queen, Susan was horrified. She rushed to the last manned boat in the pier. They were leaving behind three well constructed boats, for the simple fact that, there was no one who could man them. A last thought crossed through her mind as they pulled away from the other boats.

Without looking away, she said "I need a torch."

By now the trainees, who were worn out of two days of nonstop evacuations didn't much see the point. One of the trainers though, quickly grabbed a torch from the bow and brought it to her. She took it from him and threw it at the nearest boat which was now about two or three yards away. The trainees panicked as the first boat went up in flames. The flames climbed the mast, consumed the sails, and then jumped to the sails of the next ship. The fire continued to feed on the ships until all that remained was the charred black remains of what used to be three boats.

The trainees watched in horror as the three boats slowly sank into the water, but the trainers were already discussing the strategy behind it. If the boats had been left, the Insurrectionist will be able to follow them to the encampments. As the trainees were being calmed by their instructors, Queen Susan was about to go below. Halfway down the stairwell, she heard a deep thud from behind. She felt it rock both the boat and her insides. Now everyone on the boat was worked up. She turned just in time to see a second explosion, followed by a pillar of fire. This seemed to be right at the gates of the town. She watched in unmasked horror as fires began to billow out of control.


	8. Edmunds Power

Disappointment filled the halls of the fort. Not a single living soul was within the fort except for Edmund and his Elite Forces. He had never been so angry in his whole life. The siege was supposed to be bathed in blood and now there wasn't going to be a single death. No fighting, no killing, nothing. Just quiet conquering. He looked out the window of what should be the "Queens" abandoned office. What he sees angers him more than anything.

At the mouth of the river, about a mile from the shore, the last boat to leave the village is quickly sailing away. The White Queen's armies had just missed the last of the people retreating. He was furious.

Suddenly, the skies darkened. Throughout the fortress, the shadows seemed to thicken to the point where even the torches seemed as if they would go out at any second. Edmund's Elite began to run from the fortress as the structure began to shake. The room in which Edmund stood was almost completely black, except for the window that looked out on the village and the boat.

The White Witch, who had been riding her chariot in triumph through the markets, now halted her chariot and looked to the fortress looming above the village. It seemed as if the walls themselves had turned pitch black and dark clouds were blotting out the sun, throwing the village into gloomy state. For the first time in history, she knew that one of the few powers greater than her own was in her midst. She also knew she had to either control it or stop it.

Queen Susan looked on in horror from the boat as she witnessed the exact same thing. She couldn't help but feel as if some great evil was looking at the boat and at any moment it would attack. She raced through ideas in her head, but eventually came to the conclusion that no matter what, if it attacked them, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Maugrim, who had been ransacking a restaurant close to the village gates, stopped eating the venison he found. He hadn't yet looked outside, but could feel his fur standing on end. He was instantly reminded of the time when the Prince was a child and had first joined the Queen. He remembered how it was the something else that had scared him back then. He had not felt it again and had thought maybe he had imagined it. But now, he felt it again, the power that belonged to someone other than the Queen. The extreme power that belonged to the child, who had become Prince of the new Narnia. The wolf knew this would change the how the game was played by everyone.

Back in the Susan's Office, Edmund was slowly losing control of own power. For the first time in history he felt a power that unnatural to him. The hags and the Queen had taught him plenty of magic, and he had grown used to how those magics had felt, but this was something completely knew. He actually enjoyed the feeling of this one.

But just as he was reaching his full potential, a vision flashed in his head. The face of a lion roared into his thoughts and he felt the roar vibrating him to his core. He lost control of the new magic and passed out. As he passed out, the entire fortress exploded. Queen Susan watched as the entire side of the mountain erupted in a cloud of dust and debris. Edmund's soldiers panicked as the explosion went off, throwing several of the men either to the ground, into trees or just several feet through the air. Other hid behind shields and trees as huge boulders and pieces from the fort fell from above or were thrown into their ranks. All this happened seconds before the cloud of dust blinded them.

In the village soldiers watched all this in fear, not knowing the cause. Even the White Witch was caught off guard momentarily at the size of the blast. Maugrim heard the sounds of chaos from outside and left the house to see what was going on, abandoning the venison. Once outside, he instantly saw what all the chaos was about. The cloud of dust had almost completely covered the mountain by now as well as the road that led to the village. Even from the village, he could smell the blood of the soldiers above. He could hear the cries of the injured and dying men from afar. Long before some of them began to limp into the village.

Up above all the chaos, Prince Edmund awoke to the sound of a minotaur shaking him. Then he heard the screams and whimpers of his men.

"What happened?" He asked cautiously.

"The fortress exploded. Several of your men have been badly injured. We may have gotten lucky. If we hadn't fled the castle first, a lot more of your men would have died. As is, several of them are dead and twice as many are injured. We have to move them to safer ground."

Edmund could tell from the look on the minotuars face that he was concerned about Edmund. They both knew that Edmund was in the dead center of the blast crater and he was completely unscathed. Meanwhile, men who were out on the grounds were screaming in pain and dying. They both knew something was up, but neither knew what.

"Don't tell anyone that you found me here, okay. I will tell you what happened later, but for now, we have men to attend to." The Princes voice wasn't threatening, but actually fearful, as if he had something to keep secret and the minotuar was now a big threat because he knew.

"Yes, Sir." said the minotuar. He knew that this upped the ante for everyone, and knew it would safer for the Prince if it hadn't happened. He also trusted the Prince to keep his word. If the Prince said he would tell him later he would. But he was curious to know what had the Prince so scared.


	9. Stress

High King Peter was worn out. He was barely made King a week ago and now he was in charge of organizing a defense against the army that had single-handedly decimated one of the strongest fortresses in Narnia. On top of that, he had no information on the Witches new general or what caused the explosion that occurred at the fortress near Beaver's Dam.

If it hadn't been for General Oreius or Queen Susan, he would have broken beneath the pressure days ago. As is he was barely keeping it together in front of his men. Every night in his tent, he would toss and turn, thinking about the approaching battle.

Meanwhile, General Oreius was covering for the High King. The General knew that the Prince wouldn't be ready yet. If the situation had not called for it, he would have kept the boy a prince for a couple more years. But he knew that while this situation had just thrown the Prince into it, it would be more beneficial for Peter in the long run. This forced the boy to grow up fast.

The General had been fairly impressed by the actions of the Queen. While High King Peter was trying to figure out what he had to do from day to day, Queen Susan had completely evacuated Beaver's Dam, mustered her forces, started the training back up, and was still finding time to train herself. Of course, she had been put in charge when she was sixteen and had easily a year to practice the art of leadership.

Queen Susan, like her brother, was also feeling the stress. She and the new High King had been fighting repeatedly about strategy, supplies, men, best place to make a stand. She had been leading the base for a year and was now being question by someone who had been in charge for about a week. If it hadn't been for General Oreius calming her down after every fight, she would have taken her men and left after the first couple of fights. The General was a big aid in everything, having been in charged since before the Old Kings reign even began. Under his guidance, Susan was learning a lot about moral, use of words, how to distribute men on the fronts. With his help, she learned of several flaws in her own plans and even how to prevent some flaws that she would have made in the future.

Altogether, moral at the Stone Table was beginning to run low as the leadership continued to fight among them. The men were becoming agitated, confused by the ever changing plans, and paranoid as threat of the White Witch seemed to loom ever closer. Any day now, the men thought, the Witches forces will ride over the ridge and begin to blast away at the camp. With all the stress building, fighting among the men was becoming more frequent and prayers to Aslan were quickly growing in number. But their numbers weren't the only ones feeling the burn of prebattle stress.

In the forests near the charred remains of Beaver Dam, Edmund was feeling stress as well. But this stress was over different matters. Edmund was speaking with his second in command, the minotaur who found him among the ruins. This minotuars name was Navier, and he was proving to be a lot smarter than most of his brothers in arms. Edmund had tried every lie he could think of to throw him off, but each had only resulted in the minotuars increased curiosity. Finally, Edmund had conceited to tell Navier the truth. The problem was that Edmund himself didn't know exactly what the truth was.

"When the fortress exploded, I am not quite sure what happened. I know I was getting angry about missing the last ship. I didn't even realize I was building up my power until it started to feel weird."

"What do you mean weird?" asked Naveir curiously.

"Most of the magic they have taught me has felt off, like it's not supposed to be there. But this magic felt like it had been there the whole time, and I was just now tapping into it. I can't explain it, but this felt normal, like I had been doing it my whole life. I got so excited by it, that I forgot I was powering up. But then things got really weird."

"How so?"

"I saw an image flash inside my head and felt something like a roar in my head. I saw a lions face in my head and it was roaring at me. It felt angry, so angry that even I was scared of it. I have never been that scared in my whole life."

"You said you saw a lion?"

"Yes, why?"

"That means this war is drawing the attention of a lot more than us Narnian's."

"Who else would be interested in a civil war in Narnia?"

"I am not sure but I only know of one lion in Narnia, and if he is watching than that means that more than Narnia rests upon this war."

"Than this campaign just got a lot more interesting. If this is the Lion I am thinking of, than it's time to fight with all our hearts."

"Sir, what caused the explosion?"

"That's the only answer I think I have. I think when I lost control of my power, it just scattered in all directions, hence the explosion. I will admit though, I blacked out after the Lion roared and didn't actually see the explosion. I only saw the effects of it when you woke me up."

"Yes Sir. I will depart and check upon the men."

"Commander Naveir."

"Yes Sir?"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't discuss this with anyone, not even the higher ranks. Last thing we need is to be questioning my leadership abilities."

"Yes, Sir"

What neither Prince Edmund nor Commander Naveir knew was that the leadership was already gathering to discuss the event. In the Command tent, the White Witch, Maugrim, Ginarrbrik, and General Otmin were gathered, discuss the campaign so far.

"Someone want to tell me what happened back at Beaver's Dam."

General Otmin spoke up first, "We are not sure my Lady. The Prince says several explosives were interlaced with the structures foundations."

Ginarrbrik raised his voice "That's impossible, no amount of explosives could have created an explosion that big, and even if that were the case, there is still the situation of those clouds blocking out the sun right before."

Maugrim spoke up next, "Besides all that, the foundations were completely intact. It looked like the ground had actually been pushed DOWN by the explosion. I also noticed a weird energy emanating from the castle right before it exploded."

"What do you mean?"Asked the Witch, her interest suddenly peeked.

"I have only felt that energy once before and it scared me then too. It was when you used your magic on the Prince right after he was retrieved."

"Are you suggesting that the Prince is the cause of the explosion?"

"Yes, though I don't believe he realizes it himself. He is probably racking his brains out trying to figure out what happened."

General Otmin chose now to speak up again, "But the Prince has already declared he was on the ground when the explosion occurred, and Commander Navier has also vouched for the Princes location."

Maugrim spoke calmly, "Yes, but they both could have easily lied. We already know that the Prince men are extremely loyal. It isn't that hard to believe that his men would at least lei for him, even if they don't do anything else for him."

"Are you implying that any of the minotuars would betray the Queen?"

"I am not implying anything, General. I am merely analyzing what has been put forth by current circumstances."

"That's enough, gentlemen. All of you leave me."

As the party departed, the Witch looked down at the map of Narnia. The idea of the Prince turning against her had crossed her mind before, but hadn't been a real threat. But after the situation at Beaver's Dam, she was beginning to give it some more thought. If Edmund did turn against her, her campaign would not only be halted, she could easily lose the Dark Forest, her own kingdom. She was not ready to lose that much. _I won't act yet, but if the need occurs, I will strike first._ The Queen thought. For the first time since his arrival, the White Witch was contemplating killing the Prince.


	10. The First Battle

Prince Edmund stood next to Commander Naveir at the edge of the forest, overlooking the enemy camp. The camp sat right on the coastal cliff, but had plenty of valleys to the north for escape. The Prince was unimpressed. The camps residents didn't even look ready for battle; some of them were just waking up. At the coast, Edmund could see the glint of armor from what looked like a human. _So that's the High King Peter, he better be worth it._ Thought Edmund. Next to him, Commander Naveir looked down at the camp. His thoughts were elsewhere. Despite the Prince request for silence, the entire camp had already figured out what had happened at Beavers Dam. Most liked having that kind of fire power on their side. A couple of the men were afraid that he would lose control again and do more harm than good. Either way, none of them were really concerned about where the power had come from. The Commander was concerned about the image of the lion. _Aslan only roars when he is angry,_ thought Naveir, _so why would he be mad at the Prince._ They would know soon, guessed the Commander.

Meanwhile, Prince Peter stood in full armor, looking out over the water. General Oreius strode up next to him. Peter wasn't sure if he could handle talking about the stress, but knew he couldn't just hold it in.

"How do you deal with all of this? How do you handle and not go mad?"Peter asked, exasperated.

"I generally try to keep it from getting to me. You have to take a third party stance to everything. Pretend it's not you that they are talking to, but someone else. If you do that, then you don't get all the emotion built up that you feel now. It takes practice, but you will get it. Stay strong; this is just the first time."

Peter was starting to feel better, when an explosion emanated from within the camp near the south part that met the forest. Peter glanced at the General just before they both took off. As they reached the battle, Peter was suddenly horrified. One of the supply tents had been blown to pieces, and shrapnel had lodged in other tents and soldiers. He saw his men bleeding from deep scars, and could hear their screams. General Oreius was already moving. He ordered that the injured that could be saved be taken further into the camp and that anyone who could fight should move to meet the enemy. What Peter failed to notice was the army rushing from the forest attacking the surprised soldiers. He didn't even notice that the General was shouting for him to move and fight. He was so shocked by all the death that was taking place right in front of him, that he didn't notice the wolf running right at him.

Maugrim raced right at the High King, knowing he would be awarded for the kill, when he was blocked by General Oreius. He watched in horror as the two swords came down on him. He had no way to dodge or parry. Edmund, dressed in his all black armor, looked around for a split second. In one direction, a human girl shot arrows into the Witches men, not missing once. In another, Maugrim was slain by a centaur. Commander Naveir was engaged with an enemy. Their High King was slowly sinking to the ground, looking shell shocked by all the death. Now Edmund was really mad. How dare their famed leader be so useless. Edmund walked toward the sitting king, ignoring the combat erupting around them. The General saw the black armored knight and raced at him. Edmund didn't even flinch. He threw up his hand and blasted the centaur backwards into another tent.

Peter watched the General crash into the tent and watched the structure collapse on top of him. This image brought Peter from his shock. He stood and looked for the source of the energy. Then he saw the black knight. He had never been so angry with anything. He wanted to kill the knight and he was going to. Edmund chuckled as he realized the High King was now mad enough to fight. Their swords met with loud clangs. Both were evenly matched. Their swords clashed again and again without any hesitation.

But as the match went on, dark clouds began to form above the camp. Commander Naveir looked toward the two combatants and noticed what seemed like solid black clouds building around them. The White Witch, who was just now emerging from the forest in her war chariot, looked down on the battlefield and immediately saw the darkness building. She wasn't surprised that at the center of the commotion were the Prince and the High King. She noticed that the forest seemed be suffocating in the darkness. Narnian's fled their tents throughout the camp because the darkness seemed to be choking them. Neither Edmund nor Peter seemed to notice. They just continued to fight each other, each with a fury and excitement that they had never felt before.

Queen Susan stopped firing arrows because she couldn't see her targets as well and was growing scared. She noticed that all around the battle field the soldiers on both sides had stopped firing for the simple fact that they were getting scared of the growing shadows. She looked up and got the same feeling she had when she was watching the darkness form above the fortress at Beaver Dam.

Finally, Peter flew out of the cloud of shadows that had formed around them. He fell onto the ground. As he slowly rose and gathered up his sword, he saw a very angry Edmund gathering the shadows to himself. He seemed to glow with black light and the shadows seemed to be gathering in his hands.

Just as Edmund was about to blast the High King into oblivion, A bright light blasted through the darkness onto the ground. Bathed in light, the great Lion stood looking back and forth between the two combatants. All around Narnian's bowed while the Witches forces fled from the light. The Witches army scattered as they retreated and the Witch was unable to track who was fleeing and who was staying. The only ones who didn't flee were Edmund and Commander Naveir. Edmund watched all his energy dissipate as the Lion glanced at him. He noticed that it was the same Lion that had roared in his head at Beavers Dam. Peter looked upon the Lion and bowed, ignoring the pain growing in his side.

"Rest your swords, Kings of Narnia."

"Who are you?"Edmund asked curiously.

"I am Aslan, the Great Lion. My apologies for taking so long to greet you, King Edmund."

"Wait, that's Edmund?" Peter asked beginning to sink to the ground due to the pain.

"Yes, my name's Edmund. I am one of the Queens Generals. I am Prince of the Dark Forests. General of the Elite. The Black Knight." said Edmund.

"You are one of the heirs to Narnia and Ruler of the Dark Forest." Aslan corrected.

"What do you mean I am King? I just serve the Queen." Edmund asked, now getting confused.

"I refuse to believe that he is my brother that disappeared ten years ago."

"Edmund, remove your helmet." Aslan stated.

Edmund removed his helmet without a second's hesitation. Something about the Lion made Edmund trust him. When Peter saw Edmunds face, he was shocked. While it had been ten years since Peter had last seen Edmund, he could still recognize him. Edmund looked down at Peter and wondered what was going through his head. Before he could ask the Lion was speaking again.

"Now King Edmund, remember your past."

With those words, and series of images began to fill Edmund's head. Images of his dad, mom, playing with Peter, learning from a tutor, riding on Philip and other happy memories from before that night ten years ago. Then he remembered the night that Narnia fell. He remembered running to his room as the soldiers fought around him, being placed on Philip's back, being taken by the wolves, and finally the White Witch's wand in his face.

"So that's what she was doing that first night. That Witch was erasing my memory. All I remembered was opening my eyes and seeing her pointing her wand at me. I always wondered what she was doing, but didn't ask."

"Yes, Son of Adam. You were bathed in the darkness she lives in, but now I have awakened not only your memories, but also the true power within you. The power within that feels so normal to you. The power that had you tossing and turning all night long. The power that had your men trembling and leaders concerned. You have powers greater than that of the White Witch. But you will still need the help of you brother and sisters to defeat the evil that plagues this land."

"Yes, Aslan."Edmund stated as he bowed to the Great Lion. "I will await your orders."

Commander Naveir chose now to walk up to the group. He bowed to the Great Lion and then addressed Edmund.

"My King, my apologies but we best depart before the White Witch learns of your absence and begins to suspect."

"Agreed, by your leave, Aslan."

"Go and await my command."

"Yes, Aslan."

With that, both Commander Naveir and King Edmund departed the battlefield and disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Aslan turned to High King Peter knowing the King had a question on his lips.

"What of Lucy, My Liege?" Peter asked hesitantly.

"She will join us soon." The Lion said "Now let's tend to your injured and frightened."

The Lion and the King walked back to the camp to deal with damages wrought by the battle.


End file.
